The Story of Riku
by becoafamu
Summary: Somewhat AU, but takes place in the 'Canonverse.' A response to The White Raven013's fic challenge! Inspired by the CoM manga. Zexion kidnaps Riku in Castle Oblivion, and takes him back to join the Organization. Riku/Kairi, future Repliku/Namine.
1. Riku

This fic is a response to a fic challenge by The White Raven013. I'm going to list all the fanfic parameters first, so y'all know what I'm working with. If you want to read the fic, just skip down to the line break. ;)

Have a fic that can include the following elements (you are not limited to this):

**1. Something that twists the plot of the original KH games to the writer's liking (for example, what MegaFlameHedge did with their fic 'Dual Destinies').**  
2. What about KH3? You would think with all the hubbub about the new games, there would be _something_ about the new characters and stuff.  
**3. A story with a bittersweet or tragic ending-- I'm getting really bored with all of the happy endings.  
4. A story with the element of mystery in it-- something in the story has to be solved by means of logic, science, et cetera.  
5. A story that starts out with an almost innocent air about it but gradually becomes darker as it goes along (this one I would **_**really**_** like).  
6. Something with adventure in it maybe? Though, if you do this, I prefer if you don't use Sora, Riku, Donald or Goofy.  
7. Multi-chaptered would be cool, but it's not a must.**  
8. Maybe do a fic that spins off of a Shakespeare play-- just not Romeo and Juliet please (I love it, though, it's overused).

The fic, however, cannot include these elements:

**1. The words Zexion and emo mentioned in the same fic (you should get what I mean here).  
2. Yaoi (I will admit **_**some**_** of this stuff in the KH section is all right, but it's all you find these days-- I want something different).  
3. Axel being a sexual deviant.  
4. Roxas and angst being best friends (again, you should get what I mean).  
5. Demyx being a complete neanderthal.  
6. Any character being perfect.  
7. Sora being a klutz.  
8. Riku being either a sexual deviant or a pile of angst.  
9. Kairi being a harlot, happy-go-lucky, or a generally not liked character for poor reasons.  
10. Set in the world of education.  
11. Smut in general.  
12. An overabundance of cliches.**

So. No smut, no yaoi. Dark. Suspenseful. Tragic ending. LET'S START THE PARTY! :D

Many thanks to my betas, my IRL life friend Steph, and LiteraryMirage. Thanks guys!

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Once upon a time, there was a boy named Riku who lived on a cluster of beautiful islands directly in the center of a crystal clear ocean, which were exactly as idyllic as described. He had the best friend anyone could ask for, parents who loved him, and he was the very best at absolutely everything he tried. His life was, as far as a young boy could be concerned, absolutely perfect.

Then, something happened. A girl showed up on the island. She fell from the sky during a star shower, and landed with a sploosh in the cool tide. And suddenly, someone had something that Riku didn't.

Riku had never been to the sky.

The girl revealed that her name was Kairi, and was promptly adopted by the mayor of Destiny Islands. Very soon, Kairi was the star of their tiny little world. Everyone wanted to know where she'd come from, who she was, will you be my friend? Riku seethed with envy. Who _cared _about the stupid sky, anyway? He was still the best at blitzball and school and sword-fighting and everything else. That was when Riku began to turn himself inward, and in hindsight, most likely when the darkness began to take root.

A few years later, when Riku was 12 or 13 or so, he began to notice something very odd, indeed. He'd always hated Kairi for stealing his spotlight, and as such he'd always noticed her a little bit more than the other girls on the islands. But now, he was completely obsessed. He watched her every move, teased her at every opportunity, hung out with her friends, spent hours day-dreaming about her pretty red hair. Wait, _pretty_? And so, poor Riku tumbled unwittingly into his very first crush.

Unfortunately, Kairi liked his best friend Sora better. And to make matters worse, the idiot didn't even notice. Hardened by heartbreak, Riku turned in on himself once again. At least, he thought he was hardened. In reality, he was becoming weaker, more vulnerable.

At around this time, Riku started caring about the sky again. He hated his life, now- Kairi had destroyed everything dear to him, but despite his best efforts to let go, he was still hopelessly in love with her. (At least, he thought he was, in his silly pre-adolescent way.) Fueled by pre-teenage angst, Riku began plotting escape from his miserable islands. He read adventure novels, he learned survival techniques, he practiced striking fire with flint and tinder, he drifted away from his parents, all in preparation for the day he would leave.

Over the years, Sora and Kairi, his two best friends in all worlds, began to notice what was going on. Instead of trying to stop him, they decided to go with him. Kairi wanted to find out where she was from, after all, and Sora went wherever Riku went. From one perspective, their decision was a mark of true friendship. To Riku, however, they were only trying to hold him back. He humored them though, and let them help him build a raft, but the night before they were set to leave, he rowed out to their play island with the full intention of leaving by himself.

On his way towards the cove where they'd stowed their getaway craft, Riku was stopped by a shadowy figure. No one but him and his friends ever came to this island; it was completely uninhabited, and adults couldn't be bothered to make the trip. In short, Riku was quite surprised to see an adult here, of all places, at this time.

"Who are you?" he'd asked bluntly. Everyone on the islands knew who he was; he was Riku, Golden Boy. He had no reason to be afraid.

"Who are _you_?" the mysterious shadowy figure asked right back at him. Riku frowned. He really wasn't into silly questions and soul-searching. As such, he refused to dignify the inquiry with a response. After a long pause, the man (for the voice definitely belonged to a man) spoke again. "You want to leave this world." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes. I'm leaving now, on that raft right over there. Don't try to stop me," Riku said haughtily. His hand drifted towards the knife on his belt. He didn't want to hurt anyone, but he was more than willing to fight anyone who tried to take him home, tooth and nail if necessary.

"I wasn't going to stop you. I want to help you." Riku blinked in surprise, taken aback. This person was going to _help _him run away from home? "If you use that contraption, you'll surely die. There is an easier way. Follow me." The man turned and walked away slowly, disappearing among the vines at the entrance to Riku and Sora's secret hiding spot. The spot they'd both sworn never to show anyone else, that is, until Sora had gone behind his back and shown Kairi. Riku's resolve steeled, and he crouched down and entered.

At the back of the secret spot was a door, a door that most definitely had not been there the day before while they were gathering supplies. Maybe it was an old storehouse or something, and the entrance had been covered up? Riku looked on in wonder. His new acquaintance was standing directly beside it.

"This door leads to another world," he explained softly. "But you are the only one who can open it."

"Why me?" As a child, Riku wouldn't have bothered to question. Of course he was the only one who could open the door. But now, he was laced with uncertainty. The change was not lost on Riku the teenager.

"Because you have been chosen." Riku raised an eyebrow.

"Chosen for what?"

"Why don't you open the door and find out?" Riku eyed the imposing entryway uncertainly. He took a quick glance over his shoulder. This was it. If he left, _truly _left, his parents and Sora and Kairi, there would be no turning back. He'd never had to make a decision this weighty, not in his entire short life. Stand still, or move forward? He looked to the shadowy man for help.

"Go, Riku," the man urged. "Your destiny is not here." That was all the encouragement Riku needed. A few short steps moved him across the hiding place to the door- why had the cave seemed so much bigger when he was small? He rested his hand on the smooth, polished wood.

"There's no door knob," he said stupidly.

"_You _don't need one," the man chuckled, a vaguely sinister sound. Now they were standing next to each other. The man gently rested a hand on Riku's shoulder, and Riku's blood ran cold. Well, it was too late to turn back now.

He pushed.

Riku didn't find out what had happened to his islands that night until much later, when Maleficent told him. In a moment of weakness, he'd begged to go home, and she'd coldly explained that he had no home left to go to, by no one's fault but his own. His parents would be gone, she'd said, but there was a chance that some children may have survived. At that point, Riku had refocused his energy on begging her to help him find his friends. She graciously agreed.

By the time they found Kairi, she had already lost her heart. That was when Riku lost his, as well.

"Ah! Stop it." Riku shook his head violently to clear it of the awful memories. Normally, he was a very cool-headed boy. He was the responsible one, the one the parents trusted when he and Sora and Kairi went to the islands by themselves. A born leader. So, naturally, he was reluctant to admit that he was lost. Well, is it even possible to be lost when there's only one way to go?

Riku had appeared in Kingdom Hearts, with hazy memories of what he'd done. The King was there, too, King Mickey. Then Sora had arrived, and the King and Riku helped him close the door. He remembered saying goodbye to Sora, asking him to take care of Kairi. Then the door was closed, and Riku was lost to the darkness forever, or so he'd assumed. He'd taken for granted that he was a completely lost cause. The light would never take him back.

But now he was in a castle. A very _bright _castle, everything white, yet weirdly dull as well. Somehow, he had gotten from Kingdom Hearts to a castle. Or maybe this castle _was _Kingdom Hearts? He couldn't remember anything in between. And now that he was in the castle, the only way to go was up, up and up, higher and higher. He felt like a rat in a maze- if only he could figure out how to climb out and over the walls!

Each floor had a memory, and a different battle to fight. The memories were bad, but hey, he'd been there once, he could go there again. Riku wasn't even that concerned with the 'Organization' that showed up to chat with him all the time. They, and the bastard Replica they'd created, were by far the least of his problems.

No, his most pressing concern was that this place most definitely wasn't _right. _Everything was , his insides were squirming back out. The darkness he had worked so hard to fight down into himself was coughing itself up again, climbing out and _manifesting. _

Inside this castle, Ansem was real.

He had his own body. He could talk and touch and trick Riku into letting him come out and _kill _people. Riku glanced back at the empty space where the hulking Lexaeus had been standing barely a moment before. He hadn't meant to kill him! But Lexaeus had certainly meant to kill Riku- he'd been about to, even, before Riku had stopped him. Maybe that power hadn't been Ansem at all? Maybe Riku's darkness had just activated in self-preservation?

Riku once again shook his head sharply. He didn't have time for this crap. He had to get out of this castle. And the only way to do that was to keep going up. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that the castle itself was leading him somewhere, like the walls were closing in and funneling him towards a specific destination, or like some unseen force had looped a ring through his nose and was leading him to drink.

Riku stared down at the card in his hand, perfectly still though the rest of him was trembling. Only one more to go, but these were the memories he'd been dreading the most. The memories of his islands.

The islands he'd destroyed.

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Next chapter: Zexion.

Review plz? :)


	2. Zexion

Thank you to my lovely reviewers: Jupiter-Lightning, Shidou, Pantharya, Endings Matter Most, Legendary Chimera, and, er, KattJealous, LOL. You guys are the greatest. :D This is really different from my usual stuff, so the feedback is greatly appreciated! Without further ado:

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**Chapter 2: Zexion**

Zexion stared placidly at the chore wheel tacked up outside his kitchen's door. Vexen was gone, and now Lexaeus, too, which meant the chores would have to be redistributed again, this time entirely to Zexion himself. He supposed that communication could be crossed out since he had no one left to communicate with, but he really disliked scrubbing toilets, and besides, all of the patrolling wouldn't leave much time for cooking or cleaning or washing dishes. In any case, after this fiasco, the Superior would most likely never let anyone live at Castle Oblivion ever again. Seemed like a shame to waste such a nice chore wheel, though, and it had taken him more than two hours to make it. But maybe in hindsight, instead of 'Greet People Properly,' this month's goal should have been 'Don't Get Killed'? Oh, but Vexen got so upset about the younger Nobodies ignoring him.

With a sigh, Zexion nibbled his bottom lip and thumbed his chin, both silly unconscious habits that had carried over from Somebody to Nobody. He needed to decide what to do next. What would Ienzo have done? Ienzo was kind of a dumb kid, but at least he always knew what to do in a crisis. Or at the very least, the best way to get back at someone. Yes, by now Ienzo would have concocted a devious plan to get revenge on Marluxia in the most painful way imaginable. Unfortunately, the spark that made him him had fallen by the wayside somewhere in the transformation process, and all that was left was a hollow shell, Zexion, gazing at his fallen comrades' names and wondering vaguely if he should be feeling more sad. Ienzo would have been sad. Maybe he should say a few words?

"I'm sorry this happened," he said blandly. No emotion at all. He cleared his throat and tried again. "I mean, I'm really sorry. You were good partners- you shouldn't have faded away like that." Zexion still wasn't feeling sad, but there was more conviction in his voice than before. "Don't worry, I'll go pee in Marluxia's flower bed for you." The stupid chore wheel had more emotion than he did. He'd meant those last words, though, in spirit if not literally. Number 11 had it coming. Zexion was all set to make him believe he was a pretty prancing pony for the rest of his unnatural not-life, but then, Marluxia would probably like that, so, back to the drawing board. Besides, there was the problem of Sora.

Marluxia had turned the Keyblade master much too easily, but Zexion could tell that something upstairs was unsettled. Larxene was gone along with Vexen and Lexaeus. As far as he could tell, Marluxia was still up there, and he had no idea what Axel was doing. All he knew was that as long as Marluxia was alive, he'd be trying to use Sora to take over the Organization. He was the type to have about a million meticulous fallback plans for literally any scenario, so he wasn't going to give up easily. But he needed to be stopped. That was certain. And Zexion alone couldn't stand up to Marluxia _and _Sora, let alone Axel, the wildcard. He was going to need help. And he knew exactly where to find it.

If Marluxia got a Keyblade bearer, then Zexion was just going to have to get one of his own.

Preparations wouldn't be necessary- he just needed to meet up with Riku wherever he was in the castle's basement. If he couldn't get him to succumb to the darkness, he would kill him and figure out something else. Simple as that. Zexion delicately sniffed the air to find where Riku was, waved open a portal, and walked inside.

Stepping into someone else's memories was always a jarring experience. Zexion appeared on an island, with white sand and crystal clear water. Tall palm trees, along with a few other types of tree he'd never seen before, swished easily to and fro in the gentle breeze, and the sun beat down, enough to feel good but not enough to be stifling. The place was, in a word, paradise. _This _was Riku's home? Then why had he been so desperate to leave? Emotions were truly fickle little beasts.

"Riku!" The shout came from a smaller island, at the end of a bridge. Zexion teleported up immediately- that was where his target would be waiting. Sure enough, Riku was there, enthralled by the illusions from his memories, a younger version of the Keyblade master and a girl that Zexion took to be Naminé's Other, both shouting for him to come over. Riku ran towards them eagerly, his face betraying his excitement at being reunited with his best friends. And Zexion was about to take them away. He supposed he should be feeling guilty, or possibly ashamed, but he couldn't feel anything at all. Ienzo would never have done this. But then, Ienzo was dead.

"You won't be able to see anyone," he shouted easily from a seat he'd chosen up in a tree. Riku stopped running and searched frantically for the source of the sound, using his eyes instead of his ears, like a true amateur. "Actually… I should say you're not _qualified _to see anyone. You don't _deserve _to see your friends."

"Who are you?" Riku shouted, still unable to see him. "Are you one of them?" Hard to believe that such a small boy had managed to kill Lexaeus. Zexion smiled coldly and hopped to the ground. He could smell Riku's fear and uncertainty- this egg would be easy to crack.

"Take a look inside, at your _true_ self," he whispered. "You hated being an islander, cut off from other worlds. So you opened the Door, and you destroyed the islands. _You destroyed them_. And now, you belong to the darkness." As he spoke, Zexion bent down and picked up a good-sized stick. Close enough to a Keyblade, and he worked better with props. When he opened his mouth again, Sora's voice rang out.

"We lost our islands because of you!" he shouted, brandishing the stick to point directly at Riku's heart. Riku gasped at the illusion and stumbled backwards.

"Sora! Wait, I-"

"You're just a pawn of the darkness," Zexion snarled. Poor Riku looked like he was about to break down in tears, but there was no stopping now. He swung the Key-stick high above his head. "It's time to face the _light_!"

Riku screamed and fell to his knees, completely imprisoned by Zexion's illusion. Nothing was actually hurting him, of course, but it was only a matter of time before the darkness inside reacted to the light in his imagination. He believed he was dying, so he'd use any means to save himself. At least, that was the idea. If it failed, Zexion would just kill him with his lexicon while he was stunned. Really, it was a win-win situation. Zexion preferred to have the odds stacked in his favor.

But if Riku succumbed to the darkness, what then? Zexion wasn't entirely sure how it would work. From what he knew, before, Riku had never lost his heart- it hadn't been necessary. Maleficent had simply preyed on his insecurities and played him like a fiddle, all the way up until the Superior's Heartless had taken Riku as a host and turned on her. Finally, Riku's heart and body had been reunited _inside _Kingdom Hearts. Such a thing was completely unheard of. Yes, this Riku was quite the enigma. But Zexion's main question was, after Riku opened himself to the darkness, would he be dealing with Riku himself, the Superior's Heartless, or some combination thereof? He supposed he'd never know until it actually happened, so he pressed harder on the illusion in Riku's mind.

Riku writhed on the ground, consumed by the light in his imagination. Zexion considered him carefully, completely unmoved by the boy's shrieks of pain. He was young- too young to be a hero. Probably about Ienzo's age. Little Ienzo had begun working for Ansem the Wise at the tender age of 13, and then allowed his heart to be taken away when he was only 15. Nobodies were of course ageless, but biologically speaking, Zexion was the youngest member of the Organization, or had been, anyway, before Number 13 showed up and stole his thunder.

"The darkness," Riku whispered, finally. Zexion leaned down to hear him better- he needed to know what the kid was thinking. "The darkness… is not my enemy."

"That's right, Riku," said Zexion quietly. "Recognize the position you're in." _Come on, accept the darkness. Come help me fight Sora and Marluxia. _

"My enemy is not darkness," Riku repeated, limbs relaxing as he slowly came to. That meant the darkness was winning. Only a little longer, now. With a sudden burst of dark energy, Riku's clothes changed from his island attire to the uniform of the Heartless he'd worn while working for Maleficent. Zexion didn't really understand the spandex-and-skirt look, but hey, if Riku would help him, he could wear whatever he wanted. Hopefully the change of clothes was symbolic of what was happening inside his heart. The same had happened to Ienzo, once, when he became Zexion, and awakened with his trademark Organization coat.

"That's right. You're one of us." Riku slowly opened a single blue-green eye, and stared up at him from his position on the ground.

Before Zexion could react, Riku summoned his Keyblade and lunged, giving Zexion barely a moment to call his lexicon and block. Riku's Souleater was strong enough to actually slice the cover. If the boy were at full strength, Zexion would almost certainly be dead. He dodged a second blow by teleporting- the blade swished easily through a cloud of darkness, knocking Riku off balance. Zexion reappeared back on top of the tree from before. Riku decided to back off his assault, instead glaring up at him. He was panting and noticeably exhausted- evidently, he had still not recovered fully from Zexion's illusion.

"Who are you?" he asked flatly. Not having spoken with Riku that much, Zexion wasn't sure if this was normal Riku or darkness-infused Riku. He still had the upper hand in the situation, damaged lexicon notwithstanding, so he figured he'd assume the best. Even if it were still normal Riku, the boy wasn't stupid, and maybe now that he'd been somewhat incapacitated he'd be more open to Zexion's offer.

"My name is Zexion. Your power can help our Organization," he answered succinctly.

"Why should I?" Well, that was a question he hadn't prepared an answer to. So, he went with the standard villain response.

"We have something you want."

"And what is that, exactly?" Riku was standing up a little straighter, now. He was recovering much too quickly. Zexion racked his brain. The Organization had resources and contacts on a hundred different worlds- they must have _something_ Riku would want. What did Riku want, more than anything? Zexion remembered the look on his face when he thought he was meeting his friends. That was it!

"Your friends," he smiled. "The Keyblade bearer is in this very castle, as we speak."

"Sora?" Riku said sharply. "Sora's here?" He narrowed his eyes in thought, then shook his head. "I just saw him… but… I thought he was a dream."

"Yes, he's here, inside this castle. He's just a little… tied up at the moment. But I can take you to him." Now that he had Riku's full attention, Zexion felt comfortable enough to disband his weapon for the time being. The poor book needed some time to repair itself, after all.

"What about Kairi?" Riku lowered his own weapon as well, but didn't go so far as to let it go.

"She is safe, on your islands." Riku immediately swung his head around to look for her. Zexion's smile widened. Apparently, he'd found a weakness. Small wonder Maleficent had been able to control him so easily. "These islands aren't actually here- they are simply an image called forth by your memories. Your Kairi is safe and sound, on the _real _Destiny Islands. We can give you the power to protect her, as well."

"I told Sora to do that," Riku said, scowling. "Why is he here?" Apparently, he trusted Zexion enough to ask him for answers. That was a start. Zexion was doing quite well, if he did say so himself.

"Well," he began. He had to choose his words carefully. "He was travelling with his friends Goofy and Donald-" at these words, Riku ground his teeth- "searching for a way back to your islands, when he received a call for help. He dropped everything to answer it. He had no choice. He's a hero, you see. Not like us." Riku shook his head angrily.

"He was supposed to be taking care of Kairi," he muttered. "He promised." Zexion cocked his head. He could see it now, the fear and the insecurity, attacking Riku's heart, rendering it vulnerable to the darkness. Nobodies had no hearts, and thus, belonged neither in the darkness nor the light. Zexion supposed that when the time came, when he finally regained his heart, he'd have to choose. For now, it didn't concern him. He had to stop Marluxia.

"Like I said, he's in this castle, right now. You can ask him about it yourself. Shall I take you to him?" Zexion curved his lips upward into the slightest of smirks, and extended a gloved hand.

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At least half of the dialogue in here is taken directly from the manga, LOL. Or at least, the fanlation of the manga that I read. Bonus points to anyone who can pick out the reference to my favoritest tv show! :D

Next chapter: Naminé


	3. Naminé

Many thanks to LiteraryMirage, Legendary Chimera, Jupiter-Lightning, Pantharya, and Endings Matter Most for the reviews! Thanks, y'all! :D

And thank yous and fluffy kittens to LiteraryMirage for beta-ing this chapter. Thanks, chica!

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**Chapter 3: Naminé**

In the tallest tower of Castle Oblivion, Naminé was working on a Keyblade Master of her own. She slid her fingers over the glass flower that surrounded her would-be hero, wondering what Sora may be thinking. He looked so peaceful, sleeping like that. Naminé envied him.

Life for her had been nothing but misery. She'd appeared one day, as Nobodies do, but without a single clue who she'd been or where she'd come from. That was how Marluxia had found her, tired from wandering, sitting under a shady tree and drawing in the dirt with a stick. Apparently he'd been looking for her- apparently she was important in some way. And so, without so much as a how-do-you-do, she was carted off to Castle Oblivion and ditched to the care of Larxene.

"So, did everything work out ok?" Naminé startled and whipped around to see Axel looking at her. She hadn't even heard him teleport in. Her tiny body unconsciously pressed into Sora's pod, as if to keep Axel away from him. "I guess it did," he grinned, as he leaned his lanky frame against one of the castle's pillars. Naminé closed her eyes and searched for her voice.

"Are you going to kill me now, too?" she whispered. Her fingers clenched and she braced for what was about to come. Much to her surprise, instead of striking her down, Axel burst out laughing. The laugh was forced, of course, since Nobodies weren't able to feel any sort of mirth, and the harsh sound echoed through the empty tower, ricocheting from column to column like gunfire.

"Of course not," he said, his voice now completely even. Namine was silently grateful that the grating laugh was gone, but she couldn't bring herself to look at him. Marluxia and Larxene, you knew where you stood with them, what to expect. Axel, on the other hand, was completely unpredictable. He _had_ been her favorite- he was always nice to her, or at the very least neutral. But then, less than an hour before, when Marluxia had grabbed her around the wrist and tried to use her as a shield, he'd been ready to kill her. In that moment, all of his fake emotions had fallen away, as he'd stared at her with those acidic green eyes, flat and lifeless like a doll's. Axel felt nothing for her or anyone else. Just like the rest of them.

"Why?" she asked softly, opening her eyes again to look at Sora's sleeping face. He looked so peaceful. She wanted to sleep, too. Nobodies never got to sleep, not ever, stuck wandering until their feet bled and their legs gave out.

"Your name's not on the list," Axel answered easily, producing a list from his jacket and holding it up for Naminé to see. Sure enough, the paper in his hand had only numbers written on it- not a single name, not even Sora's. All but one of the numbers listed had been ticked off with a lazy check mark. The last number was clearly visible, in painfully neat handwriting that was obviously not Axel's- the number six.

"Is that meant to be some sort of code?" Naminé asked warily. For all she knew, _she_ was 'number six.' She had no idea what the numbers meant, except on the odd occasion she'd heard Vexen shouting them at people. He'd never shouted a number at her, but that was probably because he didn't even know she existed. She was below Nobody- she was just a shadow. No, she was invisible.

"Wow. They really didn't tell you anything, did they," Axel said, shaking his hefty red mane. "Well, guess there's nothing you can do about it now, eh? Here." Axel dropped the note into Naminé's hands, not even bothering to see if she caught it. She did, but barely. "Each of the members of the Organization has a number- we're ranked, if you will, from when we were recruited. Got that so far?"

"So when Vexen was shouting numbers…"

"He was trying to pull rank, yes. It never worked. He was number four. Get it?" Naminé ran a finger over the first number on the list, crossed off with one of her red crayons. On the day that Marluxia had ordered him to kill Vexen, Axel had come back from the assignment and plopped down on her table. She sucked in a quick breath through her teeth.

"Eleven and twelve were Marluxia and Larxene," she said softly. Axel accompanied her with a loud croaking noise as he slowly drew a finger across his throat. She tried to ignore him. "Who was number five?"

"Big guy named Lexaeus. He didn't really talk much- you didn't miss anything," he said with a shrug. The nonchalance with which he spoke of slaughtering his coworkers would normally have unnerved Naminé, but she was thoroughly desensitized to that sort of thing thanks to her time spent with Marluxia and Larxene. That was the thought she'd clung to during her long weeks in the castle- she was only desensitized! It wasn't really that she couldn't feel anything at all, like they said. That couldn't be. Could it?

"You were supposed to kill all these people?" Something wasn't adding up. Sora had beaten Larxene and Marluxia- she'd seen it.

"One, we're not _people_. But yep. That's my job."

"But… _Sora _killed at least two of them, and-"

"I'm more an 'ends, not means' kind of guy." Axel cut her off with a smirk. "As much as I love a good purge, killing five Nobodies all by myself would get awfully tiring."

"Who is number six?" she asked breathlessly.

"A kid named Zexion." Axel looked her up and down. "Probably about your age, actually."

"Then why aren't you off killing him?" Axel was hanging around much longer than he should have. Was he interested in Sora? Naminé carefully kept herself positioned between the pod and the trickster Nobody.

"Riku'll take care of it. I'm beat." As if to demonstrate just how terribly exhausted he was, Axel stretched his arms high over his head, then cracked open one of Larxene's leftover sodas. Naminé rolled her eyes. Nobodies didn't get tired- they just didn't. Wait.

"Riku!?" Axel was making the Riku Replica do his dirty work, now? Were Naminé able to feel anger, now would be the time. She'd been bullied and threatened into mucking up Sora and Riku's memories, but now that she was out at least somewhat from under the Organization's thumb, she was desperate to clean up the mess she'd made, to make it all better so she wouldn't have to live with this _guilt _anymore. She stared longingly through the thick glass at Sora's sleeping face. He'd smiled at her before she stuck him in there- but would it be worth it? And the Riku Replica- could he ever be fixed at all?

"No, no, not the Replica- the real one," Axel waved a hand dismissively, completely oblivious to Naminé's agitation. "He should be meeting up with Zexion right now. Zexy's a good kid I guess, but no way is he coming out of that one alive."

"So you're just going to leave him down there to die?" Naminé felt ill. The Riku she'd seen in Sora's heart wasn't a murderer, not even close. "Letting someone else do your dirty work for you?" With the accusation, she brought her eyes up to meet Axel's for the first time. Her tiny voice rose with courage she hadn't known she had. Courage that was rapidly deflated by the withering look Axel gave her.

"Hey! Gift horse! Mouth! Why go out of my way to do work I don't have to?"

"So that's why you're leaving me alive?" Axel only responded with a shrug. She sighed, looked away and once more began rubbing her hands on Sora's glass. She'd done so much damage, writing herself into Sora's heart. Larxene's words to her echoed through her mind: _So you can be somebody, instead of somebody's shadow. _But no. She had no use for her own heart- she was a monster, and it would be no good to anyone. Someone else's words came back to her, forceful and clear.

_**What do I want with the heart of a loser?**_

"I have no reason to kill you, kiddo," Axel said sternly, ruffling her hair. Naminé was broken out of her thoughts long enough to frown slightly at the condescending gesture. Axel looked to be at least twice her Other's age, and while Nobodies were technically ageless, well, appearance is everything, or so they say. Naminé would forever be treated like her 14-year-old body, no matter how old she got. Wandering and wandering until her feet bled and her legs gave out.

Axel wasn't going away, but he didn't seem to be doing any damage, so Naminé reluctantly left Sora and sat down at her usual place, pulling out her sketchbook out of habit. The very first page had a picture of her and Sora playing together scribbled on it. She slammed the book closed and shoved it away from her.

"Wow! Was that some _anger _I just heard you not feel?" Axel called from the other side of the room. Naminé shook her head without looking up.

"Not anger. Guilt," she murmured. Axel didn't answer. Maybe he didn't hear her? Or maybe he'd finally left? Naminé was about to turn and see when she heard a faint thumping noise, like…

Like someone tapping his fingers on glass.

"What are you doing?" she squeaked, jumping up and rushing back over to the pod. Axel was bent over almost comically low to peer at Sora's face, drumming the fingers on his right hand while he used his left to keep his balance. His fingerprints were everywhere. Before she really knew what she was planning to do, Naminé was running at the pod and the intruder, only to be stopped in her tracks by a single bony hand against her forehead. She tried to jerk to the side, but Axel held her easily in one place. She jerked to the other side, and Axel laughed at her. So instead, she decided to just seethe quietly.

"Whoa! Relax, kiddo. Chill. I just wanted to see him." Naminé made a noise that might have been a whimper and might have been a growl- some kind of guttural noise of irritation, in any case. "Ok. As soon as I get confirmation that Zexion's kicked it, I'm going home, ok? I'll be gone and you can do whatever the hell it is you do up here. Rescue your Prince Charming or put him back together or whatever. Ok?" Axel's voice stayed even, but Naminé could pick up on the hint of amusement lacing the words. That was all she was, after all. An impotent joke. A failed tool.

When she stopped struggling, Axel released her face and gave her a condescending pat on the head. Naminé was thoroughly deflated by now, exhausted in body, soul, and not-heart, but she stayed by Sora's pod, determined to protect it from anyone else who tried to come near. That was her responsibility, after all. He had rescued her so many times, even despite all that she'd done to him. She owed it to him to keep him safe. When he awoke, he would feel as great as if he'd taken a year-long vacation in the most beautiful place in all worlds. He'd have no memories at all of this awful castle and the awful things he'd seen and had done to him. Then, maybe then, he would be able to forgive her.

Maybe then she'd be able to forgive herself.

"It's been almost two hours since Lexaeus croaked… Zex should definitely be dead by now." Axel was muttering to himself, pacing two and fro and cracking his knuckles. Finally, he stopped, and with one last extra-loud crack balled his hands into fists. "Ok, that's it. This is ridiculous. I'm going down there and killing him myself."

"Believe me, that won't be necessary." All heads but Sora's jerked towards the source of the sound- a portal that had just opened up in the farthest corner of the hall. And so, for the first time, Naminé came face to face with Zexion, Organization XIII's number VI.

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Oooooh, the melodrama! Thoughts please? :)

Next chapter: Axel


	4. Axel

Thanks to Endings Matter Most, Pantharya, shushan, and Legendary Chimera for reviews!

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**Chapter 4: Axel**

Axel's thoughts upon coming face-to-face with his quarry were somewhat mixed. On the one hand, he was glad to be spared the trouble of going through the castle to find him, but on the other hand, killing him in front of Naminé was going to be vaguely unpleasant. The girl wasn't stupid- she had to have figured out who the newcomer was and what Axel intended to do with him, and she'd already positioned herself squarely in front of Sora's pod, as if to shield him from whatever was about to happen.

Zexion had appeared from his portal, chin held high, a tiny smirk across his lips, speaking boldly and clearly and not betraying even an ounce of apprehension. The aggression was very unlike the tiny Nobody, which almost certainly meant that he believed he had some sort of ace up his sleeve. That was as far as Axel's analysis got, however- reading people _or_ Nobodies was not exactly his, as they say, thing. Axel the Nobody had little use for other people beyond entertainment, and his Other had been somewhat of a surly recluse.

For you see, in his previous life, Axel was an accountant.

Alex Lea Walker, that had been his insufferably dull name back then. The intention had been Alex Lee, but his mother wasn't the best at spelling, and no one in the family had ever bothered to pay the fee to have it legally changed. He lived on a tiny shithole of a world in a tiny shithole of a town where the weather was atrociously bad and there was absolutely nothing to do but count money and raise dogs and all the children were always succumbing to the horrible-illness-of-the-fortnight. And every time, every goddamn time, the train would break down with all the medicine on board and a team of hand-picked sled dogs would have to sled it across the barren, inhospitable wilderness while the townspeople waited on tenterhooks to see if their children would be able to cling to life for that long. And every goddamn time Alex Lea Walker would say _Hey, why don't we just invest in better railroads? _And then everyone would laugh at him.

Well, who's laughing now, Alaska!?

Yes, Alex had not been the happiest of gentlemen, trapped in the eternal ice and snow, working a boring dead-end job, and constantly surrounded by disgusting sickly children and panicky parents and obnoxious smelly dogs. His world had been one of the first destroyed by the Heartless, and to be frank, they really did him and the rest of the universe a favor.

Axel had been as surprised as one would expect when he died but his body decided to keep right on living. He supposed he should spare a thought of sympathy for his poor dead bastard of an Other, but honestly, his only thoughts were those of _freedom. _Freedom from Alex Lea Walker, CPA and his stupid misspelled name and his horrifying train wreck of a life. Those first few weeks were a constant party, hopping from world to world, drinking and dancing and just generally indulging in the boundless hedonism and avarice that had been completely inaccessible to infamous stick-up-the-butt Alex Lea. That was how the budding Organization had found him- wandering the streets of Agrabah drunk as a skunk and openly laughing at all the children who would surely die of preventable illnesses since sled dogs couldn't travel in the desert.

The Organization recruited him, slapped him with a number, and explained to him what he was and what was their mission and everything. The Superior (or 'hey, boss' as Axel preferred to call him) called an emergency meeting to determine procedure for a name already containing an X, and after a few days of arguing they agreed to dub him Axxle. Shortly thereafter, taking full advantage of the fact that you don't have to pay an exorbitant fee to change a name made up by a cabal of undead freakjobs, he quietly changed the spelling to Axel, and no one ever said anything about it, so it stayed. It did not escape his attention that his new chosen name worked perfectly for his misspelled middle name of Lea- maybe his mom was smarter than he'd thought? Maybe it was fate.

Axel never missed his heart all that much. His Other certainly hadn't been in the habit of using it. As such, the Organization's mission didn't stir any kind of devotion in him. He was in it for the action- for something to do. Being undead was not nearly as much fun as one might expect, and he was smart enough to realize that as the years dragged on, doing whatever he wanted would gradually become more and more dull, until he finally re-killed himself out of the agonizing boredom. His relation to the Organization was like the retired man who went back to work at a factory making pencils for pennies a day. The place gave him purpose, a reason to keep existing to the extent that he did.

These past few weeks, where he'd been living at Castle Oblivion, had been the most enjoyable yet. Xemnas had hand-picked everyone he distrusted in the Organization and sent them to the new castle under the pretense of conquering new territory. Axel's mission had been quite simply, in exact words, 'make sure that all of them die.' Killing them all straight-away wouldn't be as much fun, though, so he'd sat on the sidelines and observed as the marked traitors split into two factions and quabbled among themselves, and watched with only minor interventions and more than a shadow of glee as the two Keyblade wielders did his job for him. Yes, Axel's new life was going quite swimmingly.

Unfortunately, he'd underestimated Zexion. Oh well. The kid wasn't any sort of fighter- the kill would be easy. It just seemed a damn shame, when everything else had gone so well, to have to get his hands dirty this late in the game. But that's all it was, after all- a game, and with one more slice, Axel would be the winner.

"Speak of the devil," he said casually, even as he summoned his two massive chakram to his hands. "I was just about to come look for you, dear Zexion. I do believe we have some business to discuss."

"Indeed. I have some things to discuss with you as well, Axel." Zexion's smirk widened, and his eyes drifted lazily over to the pod. "Is that the Keyblade master?"

"You know as well as the rest of us," Axel said bluntly, already tiring of polite conversation. All he had to do was toss a chakram, that was it- Zexion wouldn't even be able to defend himself. Or maybe he should just set him on fire? So many delicious options, so little time. In his mind, Axel was already back in his comfy bed in the World That Never Was, feet propped up, conjuring fires and watching little moths float to him just to sizzle and die. A little odd, yes, but that's what he liked doing, and he was eager to get back to it. Castle Oblivion was just a little _too_ bleak, even for a Nobody, and the weeks he'd spent there were taking a toll on his not-disposition.

Meanwhile, Zexion was looking around for something. His eyes darted around the room this way and that, and his nostrils twitched, testing the air. Finally his confident expression faded somewhat, and he turned to Axel for answers.

"When did Marluxia fade?" Ah. So _that's _what he'd been worried about. Axel had assumed that Zexion already knew. All his assumptions would probably end up biting him in the ass someday.

"Just now. Right before he agreed to this, so Naminé could put his memories back together," Axel answered, jabbing a thumb towards Sora's pod to indicate who 'he' was. "The four of us here are the only ones left in the entire castle."

"Well, almost," Zexion sighed, sounding almost disappointed, and he reached a hand back into his portal. A bit weird that he'd left it open like that, but maybe he was going to try to make a quick escape? Axel didn't mind- a chase would make his job more fun. If he'd known what Zexion was about to pull out of that portal, he might have tried a little harder to kill him more quickly.

"Did you hear that?" he called into the black. Who was he talking to? Heartless? Dusks? "Your Sora is here, like I said. Come see him."

The person- for it was a person, not a Heartless nor a Dusk- who stepped out of that portal was the absolute last person Axel had expected to see, well, ever again. _That _was Zexion's big trump card?

"The stupid Replica?" he asked incredulously. "Hasn't anyone gotten rid of it yet?" He asked the question while looking directly at Riku, as if the boy himself had the answer as to why he hadn't been taken out with the rest of Castle Oblivion's trash.

Riku ignored what Axel had said as if he were set dressing, brushing straight past him and his weapons and directly toward Sora's pod, stopping as soon as he came face-to-face with Naminé. He was wearing, as the Replica usually did, the uniform Maleficent had created- the showy black and purple spandex number with the thick feathered skirt. Axel vastly preferred the uniform of the Organization. The coats were much classier, he thought. But then, Nobodies were much more refined than the brutal Heartless and their masters.

"What happened?" Riku asked sharply. He addressed the question to Naminé, who stared back up at him, unflinching.

"He's asleep," was all she said. Riku grabbed onto Naminé's shoulders and gently moved her to one side so he could get a better look. Naminé allowed him to do so, eyeing him cautiously before turning to answer Axel's question from before.

"This isn't the Replica. He's the real Riku," she said softly. Axel wasn't surprised at all, though he probably should have been. He just raised an eyebrow, looking to Zexion for confirmation. Zexion's eyes were closed.

"The real Riku," Axel repeated, drawing out each syllable. The boy certainly didn't look any different from the replica, but that was probably just a testament to Vexen's engineering skills, and Naminé would certainly recognize her own work. "You brought him up from the basement? I didn't think you guys had it in you." So the team in the basement would have been triumphant in the end, after all. Maybe they'd get a consolation prize in hell.

"Yes," Naminé confirmed once again. Riku didn't weigh in on the argument over his realness.

"We were all sent here to die." Zexion's words were sudden and clear. The gears were still turning in his brain- Axel could see them, and he had to admit he was impressed. "All of us. Marluxia and Larxene, too. The Keybearers, the Replica, all of the planning and fighting- it was all just postponing the inevitable, wasn't it." His eyes opened slowly, turning to focus on Axel, completely expressionless. "Everyone was sent here to die except you. You were never working with Marluxia at all."

"Well done! I always knew you were the smart one," Axel grinned. This, this right here was the fun part- the dramatic send-up, the part where the villain reveals his dastardly plot. "I am, indeed, a free agent. Or rather, I'm the only one out of all you sorry lot who's still working for the Organization we belong to."

"I'm one of the founding members," Zexion said flatly. Riku, Naminé, and Sora faded into the background.

"Sure, sure. But you signed your life away when you started working to steal the Organization away from Marluxia, who was trying to steal it from the Superior. He was suspicious of you, you know. That's why he sent you out here with the rest of the traitors- to test you. Unfortunately for you, you failed. Big time." Axel twirled a chakram lazily around one of his wrists. "And that's why I have to kill you. It's nothing personal. Unless you'd like to do the honors, Riku?"

Axel had not, of course, forgotten that Riku was present, and neither had Zexion or Naminé, judging by the way everyone calmly turned to see his response. Naminé had backed up a few paces to give Riku some space, but was clearly ready to pounce should he try anything funny with the pod. Riku himself was standing silently, staring directly into his fellow Keyblade bearer's sleeping face.

"He's supposed to be taking care of Kairi. He promised me," Riku muttered, completely unconcerned with the Organization's internal strife. "And here he is, taking a nap."

"It's a little more complicated than that," Naminé tried to explain, but Riku ignored her. He turned around to face Zexion and Axel. The latter was rather intrigued with him- he really couldn't be more different from Sora, and yet they were best friends?

The heart was rather odd.

"You promised to help me," Riku said quietly, directed at Zexion. "Were you lying?"

"Of course not," Zexion said quickly, a little too quickly. So he really was afraid of dying. That knowledge gave Axel power. He'd remember that for later. "I can get you to the Destiny Islands in an instant." Ah, pandering to the Keybearer. The total lack of pride in the name of self-preservation might turn out to be a problem.

"And you," Riku said, turning to Axel. "I don't know who you are, but you seem like a really huge asshole."

"World's hugest," Axel said somewhat cheerfully, but his eyes narrowed. What was this kid getting at?

"You brought me to see Sora, just like you said you would," Riku finished, back towards Zexion. "So, I guess for now I'm just going to have to keep trusting you." With a flash of dark energy, a Keyblade appeared in his right hand, and he pointed it directly at Axel's chest.

"You kill him, I kill you."

Axel just stared. This particular contingency was not something he had planned for, not in a million years. He'd been prepared to take out Sora, sure, but fighting the kid one-on-one had been manageable- no way could he beat Zexion and Riku together. The darkness was rolling off Riku in heavy waves. He'd be able to get Zexion easily enough, but then Riku would kill him while he was busy killing Zexion, and then they'd both be dead. There wasn't enough time to summon enough Assassin dusks to take on a Keybearer, let alone one infused with darkness. He supposed the Superior wouldn't care too much if he died on his mission, but hell, _Axel _cared. He was not planning on dying, not today, and certainly not at the hands of some dumb little lackey of Zexion's.

He reached into the depths of his memory, both his own and Otherwise, to see if there was anything he could do but surrender. Alex Lea's method of dealing with problems was to kick a puppy. Well, that was no help.

"Ok, we compromise," he gritted out. His mighty victory was slipping through his fingers. "I don't want to die, and neither do you. Riku wants to go home. Have I got that right?" No one responded, tacitly agreeing with him. He pressed on. "So here's what we're going to do. We're going home to the World That Never Was. It's close to your islands," he told Riku. Not exactly true in the physical-location sense, but portals of darkness took the same amount of time to get anywhere in the universe, so functionally speaking it was close enough to the truth to not be a lie. "Zexion lives, I live, Riku goes home. Deal?" Meanwhile, Zexion would be under watch by the rest of the Organization, and Axel could plan his next move.

He wasn't retreating, he was advancing in a different direction. Yeah, that was it.

"Fine," Zexion sighed. "I will take Riku. Is that all right?"

"What about Sora?" Riku asked suddenly.

"I'll stay here with him." Naminé had been completely silent for most of the conversation, but now, she stepped back in and placed her body back in front of Sora's pod. Nothing was going to move her, not even a herd of rampaging Large Body Heartless. She was no danger to anyone, in any case- might as well leave her behind.

"Ok, she stays here. The three of us leave together." Zexion did not appear to like the idea of traveling through darkness with Axel any more than Riku appeared to like the idea of leaving Sora behind. "Relax. Naminé's the only one who can do anything for Sora anyway, and if I try anything, Riku will kill me, remember?"

That did not make anyone relax. That made Axel smile.

"Let's just _go_ already! I need to see Kairi!" Riku finally snapped, swinging his Keyblade, a clear threat to break his truce and kill both of them. With a final, suspicious glance at each other, the two Nobodies took his advice, summoned a portal, and whisked themselves off towards their home.

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Woo! We're goin' places!

The lovely shushan in reviews asked what was going on re: the plot of Chain of Memories, and really, I can't explain it very well, so I told her (him?) to wiki it, LOL. Suffice to say, Sora and Riku had wacky and comical adventures in a creepy castle, Sora's sleeping because his memory is screwed up, and Naminé's the only one who can fix it. A lot of the rest of it re: Organization strife is just my speculation. :D And, of course, Riku is not actually recruited by Organization 13 in the game- Vexen and Lexaeus try and fail, and then Zexion tries to kill him and fails, ending up dead at the hands of the Riku Replica. Basically, the entire premise of this story is that I love Zexion and wanted him to live. LOL.

Also, no, Balto is not Disney, but neither is freakin' A. A. Milne, so I reserve my right to use non-Disney movies in the pursuit of random hilarity. Plus, I am apparently too petty to mention Alaska without also making a dig at Sarah Palin later on in the same chapter, so anyone who caught that gets bragging rights and awesome points. :D

Next chapter: Riku Replica


	5. Riku Replica

Many thanks to manyissues101, Legendary Chimera, Pantharya, The White Raven013, NinjaSheik, and Endings Matter Most for reviews! Y'all are still the best. :)

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**Chapter 5: Riku Replica**

Catatonia.

The Riku Replica lay crumpled against a wall, head lurched to one side in a way that would probably be hazardous to his health. You know, if he were a real person. As it was, he's probably just have a very sore back for a while, if he ever woke up. No one had bothered to make sure he was comfortable before they'd all run off in the excitement. Not that the Replica would be at all surprised, were he not catatonic.

Yes, he'd been taught the hard way to have brutally low expectations of his peers as regarded their attitudes towards clones. If he ever woke up, man, would they have it coming. Unfortunately, his heart and his body had somehow gotten disconnected. A side effect of being artificial, perhaps, but a nuisance all the same.

He had to find his heart.

"_We'll remake your heart." _

No, he didn't want to remake his heart. You can't build something from nothing, after all.

"_We'll give you the prettiest little fake memories anyone could ask for."_

The woman was obnoxious, sneering out at him from the depths where his heart should be. He didn't want fake memories. He just wanted his heart back.

A lone drip echoed from deep in the bowels of the castle, the only movement left, life abandoned inside the long-deserted stronghold. He could see it, now, a tiny patch of ice left over from one of Vexen's many battles, relaxing and melting down the walls now that its job was over and its master was gone.

The Replica's eyes were glazed over, pupils faded in such a way as to betray his status as a creature somewhat other than human. He stared unseeingly at a patch of marble floor a foot or so in front of him, unfeeling as the weight of his body cut off artificial blood flow to his crumpled legs. Silver bangs tumbled in front of his face, so that to a casual passer-by, it may appear that he had simply decided to take a very uncomfortable nap.

The Riku Replica was nothing but a broken doll, tinkered and toyed with until mangled beyond recognition, then tossed aside when no longer of use.

"_Riku. Riku, I'm scared."_

The stars were falling, and Naminé was afraid.

"_Don't worry, Naminé. I'll protect you."_

His earliest memory. But that memory wasn't his. The memory didn't belong to him, or anyone else- it had been invented, just like he had. Merely a shadow of a true memory, falling apart at the slightest prodding. The memory wasn't his, and it shouldn't be inside of him. Where were his _true _memories? The ones that were his, and his alone?

"_We'll remake your heart." _

No, thank you.

"_We'll give you the prettiest little fake memories anyone could ask for."_

Thanks, but no thanks.

"_You are my greatest creation yet," _Vexen told him when he'd first woken up. The Replica thought that was a little clichéd. Apparently when he'd gotten Riku's physical data, he'd picked up enough information to be able to copy his personality, as well. A true replica, down to the smirk.

"_Would you like to meet the real thing?" _ Yes, he would. He wanted to see where he came from. He'd been excited, then, knowing he had a twin brother somewhere, and that he would get to meet him. Maybe they could compare abilities. Competition is the fuel of progress, after all, at least that was what Vexen had told him.

Then he met Riku.

Riku, the real Riku, the original, had been nothing like what the Replica had imagined. He was afraid, cowardly and weak, sniveling before the Replica, armed only with half-hearted sarcasm and a sword in a quivering hand. Riku was nothing. He belonged neither to the darkness nor the light, trapped between and unable to choose.

"_What are you supposed to be?" _

You, Real Thing. You the way you ought to be. An example of your true potential. A trick of a mirror to encourage you to dip into your own personal darkness, release the power you held and ally yourself with the Organization. The Replica was a tool at best, one more tool to wedge between Riku and his friends, pointing him towards the darkness and away from the light.

Some part of him had realized that already, before what they did next.

"_We'll remake your heart."_

No.

"_Riku. Riku, I'm scared." _

Naminé was his world. Another nameless soul, just like him. No-name Naminé, a no-name Replica, both lost in the bowels of a castle that destroyed hearts. He might as well be dead, but then, where would his heart travel if he were dead? Or did he even have a heart? A true heart wouldn't have been so easily taken away. Right?

No. His heart wasn't gone. Naminé wouldn't do that to him, not his Naminé. The memories were just hiding, deep below the crusty outer fake emotions he'd been given, asleep and waiting to be awakened. They'd been waking up, too, when he met Sora.

Sora.

Sora thought he was the Real Thing. Sora wanted to take Naminé away from him. Naminé chose Sora.

"_No!"_

That was it. He'd found it. The moment where his heart had shattered. Naminé had yanked the strings from his heart and sent him plummeting down into oblivion, picked Sora over him, left him for dead. That was where he was now, he was sure of it without even opening his eyes. Naminé abandoned him here, so he'd stayed, and waited for her to come back.

"_Don't worry, Naminé. I'll protect you." _

But did she need him? She broke his heart all on her own- a power like that, and the girl hardly needed to be protected. The only purpose he had left had been snatched away from him, and now he was crumpled and lost, like a broken doll. Naminé, the very last link between his heart and his body, Naminé had abandoned him. That meant he really was just a miserable copy, then, unable to do anything at all on his own, lost without his handlers. Was he lost without Naminé?

His existence had to be worth more than that.

"_We'll remake your heart."_

No. He would remake his _own _heart.

"_What are __**you**__ supposed to be?"_

_**Myself.**_

The Replica's eyes slowly drifted back into focus, painfully at first. The trip out of catatonia was long and difficult, like swimming up a waterfall, but he was determined to succeed. As he awoke, memories, names, and faces drifted back to him through the mist, reaching deep into his mind and pulling him upwards. He wouldn't let Larxene, the Real Thing, Sora, or anyone else break his heart, not even Naminé. Her face was the last to come back to him, soft and ethereal, smiling at him faintly over her sketchbook, handing him a charm.

He blinked, and then his eyes finally opened.

A throbbing pain in his chest helpfully reminded him that his heart had recently been broken, but he couldn't deal with that right now. Both of his legs were asleep, and his neck was so stiff it was barely moveable. With a grunt, he jerked his head until his neck and spine snapped into full motion, causing him to sit up much too quickly and inhale a desperate, life-saving breath, which immediately triggered a pathetic coughing fit, which ultimately resulted in the Replica's undignified collapse onto the cold marble floor.

Ok, take two.

The Replica pushed himself up using his arms, the only part of his body that hadn't been somehow incapacitated by his uncomfortable sleep, though his wrists were a little stiff. Once he was upright, he leaned himself against the wall he'd been leaning on before, carefully extending his legs to allow them a chance to recover. Each breath was deep and shaky but still managed to comfort him just by knowing that he was breathing because he was _alive. _He'd escaped the dark recesses of his mangled brain and was now awake, staring out at the blank white castle, vaguely unsure of where he was yet knowing at the same time because after all, he'd never been anywhere else.

Yes, his mind was a little shaky. He'd have to get someone to help him repair it. And the only person who could help him repair it was the same person who had broken it in the first place.

_Naminé_.

She was still in the castle, he knew it. She was nearby, too, maybe on that next floor, just up those steps. And as soon as his legs started working, well, she was going to get a piece of his mind. Satisfied with that decision, the Riku Replica lay peacefully against that same wall, drifting in and out of lucidity, consumed by one single thought, the thought that freed him from catatonic stupor.

_I'm myself.

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_

The Riku Replica is my very favorite Kingdom Hearts character. If the world had more Riku Replica fic, then the world would be a much happier place indeed. Mm hmm. Sorry that more didn't happen in this chapter, it's just, the most important thing was getting him to wake up. No worries, he'll get to his Naminé soon. Speaking of which...

Next Chapter: Sora/Roxas


	6. Roxas

Thanks to manyissues101, LiteraryMirage, Legendary Chimera, Fenrir of the Eclipsing Shadow, EndingsMatterMost, and NinjaShiek for reviews! Wow, six reviews all in one chapter. I'm feelin' the love. :D

I meant to update this before I went on vacation, but I didn't. So, uh, sorry. But HEY LOOK IT'S ROXAS

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**Chapter 6 - Roxas**

The sun was shining, the wind was blowing, and, well, everything was pretty much idyllic. Destiny Islands were paradise, truly. Sora had seen plenty of worlds in his day, and he wouldn't trade his islands for a single one of them, no matter how much he may miss his friends. No, everything he needed was right there, close enough to reach out and touch.

"Sora? What are you thinking about?" He didn't need to open his eyes to hear Kairi's voice. Her fingers were intertwined with his, which meant she was still lying right next to him. She wasn't going anywhere. They were finally together again.

"How nice the islands are," he said sleepily. "How happy I am to be here. With you." Kairi giggled and punched him in the shoulder.

"You're such a lazy bum," she teased. He smiled. The words touched something deep inside of him. A memory.

_Sora, you lazy bum._

Roxas awoke with a start. That place again. He saw it. He saw him. Sora. Who was Sora?

He looked around, taking stock of his surroundings, suddenly unfamiliar. Then he remembered- last night was his first night in the World That Never Was. These people, or Nobodies, or whatever they were, they'd collected him and brought him here. Wherever here was. He found he couldn't remember much of anything, and while some part of him insisted that he _should _know what was going on, that didn't have any effect at all on the indisputable fact that he _didn't._

Maybe it was morning, but the World That Never Was seemed to be locked in perpetual night, just as Twilight Town was locked in perpetual, well, twilight. Roxas was still wearing the coat they'd given him- _protection from the darkness, _they'd said- and he apparently had been so exhausted that he'd passed out fully-clothed on his new bed. Well, that saved him the effort of getting dressed now, didn't it? He was dimly aware of being hungry, but he had no idea where the food would be. Maybe they were planning on bringing him some. He curled his knees up to his chin and waited.

Waiting didn't do any good. Now he was more hungry, no one was coming, and he felt vaguely stupid for waiting, besides. His head ached. He stood up, trotted over to the door, and snuck out into the hallway.

The castle he'd been stuck in was a ridiculous maze, and within minutes he was lost. He remembered the way that the others sort of teleported everywhere, using those pathways of darkness or whatever they were called, so maybe they didn't bother to improve the layout because they were just beaming themselves wherever they needed to go? In any case, Roxas didn't know how to do that just yet, and he was very much lost, and still hungry.

After teetering through yet another blank room with a morbidly depressing name, Roxas felt a tiny breeze. The brush was pathetic, just a tiny, choking gasp, but it had to be coming from somewhere. He saw a door that led to a balcony. Maybe from the outside of the castle, it would be easier to get his bearings. He went outside.

Despite his trek, all thoughts of hunger were promptly forgotten as soon as he saw the view from that balcony. He hadn't seen much, at least, not much that he remembered- nothing but Twilight Town and some bits of the inside of that bleary castle. But here, that dark city stretched out before him, every crumbling building pointing directly towards the massive skyscraper directly in the middle, but even that seemed tiny from up here- how high above the city was this castle, anyway?

"Hey, kid. What are you doing up there?" Roxas turned around. The man talking to him was burly, much burlier than the man who brought him here, and more frightening, as well. He was, well, grizzled. And he had an eye-patch. And a gun.

"I got lost," Roxas deadpanned. Grizzly burly dude didn't seem to buy that, but he didn't seem to want to argue, either.

"Whatever," he muttered. "Come with me." He roughly grabbed Roxas's arm and dragged him into a portal, the very kind that he'd been wondering how to make earlier. Maybe they'd teach him eventually. He was already getting used to the darkness, but the trip wasn't nearly as long this time- almost as soon as he entered the portal, he was leaving. Ironically, this new guy brought him to the kitchen, which was exactly where he'd been trying to go in the first place.

The kitchen was surprisingly small for such a castle, but it was outfitted with a fridge and a microwave, at least. He didn't see a dishwasher, and felt vaguely disappointed, before wondering how he knew what all of those things were.

"Is that the new guy?" someone asked dully. He was leaned back in one of the seats, while another member braided his hair. The hair-braider was no stranger to weird hair expressions himself, as he had all of his own hair styled to stick straight up.

"Yeah, this is the new guy," Grizzly Eye-Patch confirmed. He dropped Roxas's arm and went to forage for provisions, or something. Roxas was hungry too, but for now, he felt the need to stay still and return the stares that the other members were giving him.

"Why don't you all just take a frickin' picture?" he finally snarled. That didn't at all have the effect he desired. The man with the braids just smiled, kind of creepily, and the one with the crazy hair just looked confused.

"I don't have a camera," he said.

"I like him, he's feisty," said the other. "I'm Xaldin," he finally introduced himself. About time.

"Roxas," said Roxas. "Who is he?" He indicated the man who had brought him there, who was now microwaving himself some questionable-smelling possible-food.

"That's Xigbar, and I'm Demyx." So, the one with the hair that stuck straight up was Demyx, the one with the braids was Xaldin, and the one with the gray hair and the eyepatch was Xigbar. Hopefully the rest of the people in the castle would have unusual hairstyles, too, or Roxas would never be able to keep all of them straight.

"Oh. That's nice, I guess." The kitchen settled into awkward silence, except the beeps from the microwave. Roxas was beginning to miss Twilight Town. The people there did more than sit around, at least, and they had natural light.

He was still hungry, so he went over and opened the fridge just like Xigbar had done. He didn't really recognize anything, and nothing in there looked edible at all. Asking what food he should eat seemed like maybe the wrong thing to do, so he slowly closed the fridge again, hoping that no one noticed.

"Is there nothing in there that you like? We can find you something else," the spiky-haired one, Demyx, said helpfully. The helpful spirit didn't seem genuine, though, like something was missing. His eyes were drifty.

"Oh, he's fine. Here, kid. Eat mine and I'll make a new one." The patchy one, Xigbar, dumped a tray on the counter in front of Roxas and went back to the refrigerator to get something new for himself. Roxas was left staring down at the uncomfortable meal and the odd smells therein. No way was this food- absolutely no way. They were trying to trick him. He had to ask what it was.

"What is this?" he asked. Apparently that was the wrong thing to say. All three of his fellow members stopped whatever they were doing and stared, much more intensely than last time. A sad, half-finished braid dangled from Demyx's hand, the refrigerator stood open as Xigbar forgot about it, and Xaldin thoughtfully thumbed a sideburn. "What?" Roxas asked again, more sharply. "I won't eat it if I don't know what it is," he threatened. His stomach pleaded with him, begging him to be reasonable, more hungry than ever before, but he forcefully ignored it.

"It's chicken," Xaldin finally answered. "You don't know what chicken is?" Xigbar slammed the refrigerator shut, and stormed over to the other two. He whispered something hurriedly, too softly for Roxas to hear. Then he summoned a portal and disappeared, leaving Xaldin and Demyx still staring at him. Xaldin composed himself, but Demyx kept right on staring.

"It's just chicken. It won't hurt you," Xaldin said dismissively. He snapped his fingers, and Demyx jumped back to braiding. Roxas was barely able to open his mouth to argue when another portal opened, stunning him into silence. Honestly, how did they maintain any sort of calm around here, with people portalling around all willy-nilly? His disdain was short-lived, however, and quickly replaced by the comfortable familiarity of a face that he recognized.

The man who had brought him to the World That Never Was in the first place. Xemnas. He would have some answers.

"Roxas," he boomed. His voice was deep and authoritative, a good accompaniment to his tall, muscular frame and piercing eyes. Yes, Xemnas was the one who had found him in Twilight Town and asked him to come here. "I trust you slept well?"

"Yes, sir," Roxas said formally. It seemed wrong not to address him as sir- he was that sort of person.

"Very good. Come with me." He extended a hand, inviting Roxas to come with him on another journey through the realm of darkness. Roxas didn't bother to say goodbye to his new acquaintances. He noted that Xemnas didn't, either, and the man raised a few grades in his esteem. He took Xemnas's hand and followed him through another portal.

The realm of darkness was becoming familiar now, almost comfortable. The coat protected him from the darkness, so he had no reason to fear it.

"You met some of the others," Xemnas said. A statement, not a question or a conversation starter. Roxas simply nodded. "You'll meet the rest soon. Our numbers have thinned recently, but you'll find our Organization more than adequate, I'm sure." Roxas nodded again. Better not to talk, it seemed.

As soon as it had begun, the trip was over. They were in yet another stark white room, but Roxas had no idea how this one related to the rest of the stark white rooms in the castle. The décor left something to be desired. Maybe that was the idea.

Xigbar was waiting for them in this room, and Roxas took a careful look around. No, he had not been in here before. Chairs were placed in a circular pattern, at varying heights. The whole arrangement looked rather uncomfortable. For the first time, Roxas began to wonder what exactly he'd gotten himself into.

"Thank you for informing me, Xigbar," Xemnas said smoothly. Xigbar nodded. Apparently that was the appropriate response to anything Xemnas said. "Now, Roxas. I'm sure you have questions?"

Of course he had questions. Why did they live in a castle? Who lived in that city? Where were all the women? How far were they from Twilight Town? What exactly were they an Organization _of_? But one question pressed on his mind more strongly than any other, and that was the one he chose to ask.

"Why don't I remember anything?"

"Because you are a Nobody," Xemnas answered smoothly. Tonelessly. Without missing a single beat, as if he'd known exactly what Roxas was going to ask. "And now you would like to know, what is a Nobody?" Roxas blinked, and nodded. "A Nobody is a being without a heart. The Organization is comprised entirely of Nobodies. You are a Nobody, as well." Roxas looked from Xemnas, to Xigbar, and back again. They were both completely serious.

"Are you saying I don't have a heart?"

"Yes," Xemnas said. Roxas thought for a moment. He placed a hand over his chest.

"I don't believe you," he said simply. Xemnas smiled, the tiniest wisp of a smile, the only emotion Roxas had ever seen him show.

"Believe what you will," he said, amused. "Tonight is our first meeting. You'll be able to-"

And at that moment, Roxas witnessed something that no other member of the Organization, save him and Xigbar, present on that day, had ever witnessed.

Xemnas was interrupted.

The interruption came in the form of an opening portal, much more, well, sloppy than the other portals Roxas had seen. The doorway was rough around the edges and turbulent, as if it were struggling to stay open. And then three bodies, though it seemed like more at first with all the tangled limbs, came tumbling out. Roxas regarded them quite curiously, since they were the most interesting thing he could remember ever seeing.

The first one to right himself had flaming red hair- good to know that the pattern of distinctive hairstyles was continuing- and seemed unnaturally thin, as if he had some sort of degenerative sickness. He was sturdy enough, however, to grab the second person, a boy with sleek purple hair who looked to be about Roxas's age, and pull him up to his feet. The one with the purple hair immediately locked eyes with Xemnas and refused to budge, but the red-head, he looked around. He saw Roxas, and regarded him curiously. Unfortunately for him, Roxas's attention had already been stolen away.

The third boy had long silver hair and teal eyes. He had stood up all by himself, and was standing quietly off to the side. Roxas stared at him. The boy didn't notice. Roxas could feel something stirring inside of him, twitching a bit, as if struggling to break the surface. He was back on the beach again, the one that he saw in his dreams.

_The winner gets to share a paopu fruit with Kairi._

He stared.

"Xigbar," Xemnas snapped, breaking the silence.

"Yes, Superior," Xigbar said quickly, and he grabbed Roxas's arm. The red-head was still looking at him, though he never released his hold on the short, angry guy with the purple hair. Roxas desperately wanted the one he recognized, sort of, to turn and look at him. If only he could remember hi s name. It started with an R, he remembered, like Roxas but different. R-something. R…

And suddenly, Roxas was back in his bedroom.

"What was that for?" he shouted, as soon as he recovered from the trip.

"Relax, kid. We'll come get you when we need you," was all he said before he disappeared. This Xigbar person was really beginning to get on his nerves. He had no business stealing him away just as he was starting to get his memory back. Though what good was a memory without a heart? Roxas placed a palm on his chest, and once again felt a comforting heartbeat. He refused to believe what Xemnas had told him, about Nobodies and hearts. Maybe coming here wasn't such a good idea after all.

And on top of that, he _still _hadn't gotten anything to eat.

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Aw, poor Roxas, not eating the chicken. ... Or something. And so, all the major players have been introduced- Riku, Zexion, Namine, Axel, the Replica, and Roxas. What sort of wacky and comical tomfoolery will they get up to next?

Speaking of which, I can't decide whether to put the next chapter in Riku or Zexion's POV. You know what that means? OPINION POLL!

**NEXT CHAPTER: RIKU OR ZEXION? YOU DECIDE! AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION IS FUN! :D**


	7. Zexion 2

Hello there! Uh, remember when I didn't update this for about four months? Yeah, sorry about that. More explanation at the bottom.

In the meantime, big thanks to Endings Matter Most, Pantharya, manyissues101, LiteraryMirage, BlondsRuleALL, Legendary_Chimera, and Inspiration of Imagination for reviewing the last chapter way back when! I hope you all don't hate me. And in terms of the vote, Zexion won big. Well, it was 4 to 3, but two of the people who voted for Riku voted for "Riku AND Zexion!" so it didn't really count. ;)

HERE WE GO!

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**Chapter 7: Zexion**

Zexion was stuck. Axel kept a firm grip on his upper arm, forcing him to stay perfectly still. Riku had emerged from the portal as well, but he too stayed still, aloof and off to the side, apparently completely oblivious to how much danger he was in. Besides the three of them, there was only the Superior, staring down his nose at them as if preparing to squash a bug.

Yes, the Superior looked somewhat less than pleased with the spectacle before him.

"Axel," he said calmly, and painfully slowly, the way he always spoke. Axel stood up a little straighter and tightened his grip on Zexion. "What is this?"

"Zexion converted Riku," he said quickly. "And then they wanted to come back here."

"Nobody _converted_ nobody," snapped Riku, entering the conversation, not that anyone bothered to respond to him.

"So, they threatened you," Xemnas surmised. "The Flurry of Dancing Flames, the assassin who single-handedly eliminated four members of Organization XIII, caved to the demands of a couple of teenagers?" Axel's fingernails dug into Zexion's coat. Zexion himself couldn't help but smirk a little. Axel had only removed _one _Organizationmember- the Keybearers had taken care of the rest. But now didn't seem like the best time to bring that up, so he kept his mouth shut.

Xemnas was an odd one, to be sure. As Xehanort, in life, he'd been a quiet and unassuming apprentice, devoted to his studies and not much else. He'd been a lot nicer then, too, always letting Ienzo help him with experiments and everything else. Ienzo loved Xehanort. Zexion didn't trust Xemnas as far as Naminé could throw him. And he suspected the feeling was mutual. The more Xemnas spoke, the more obvious it became that he really had ordered their deaths- him and Lexaeus, and Vexen, and Marluxia and Larxene. His eyes narrowed in a shadow of dislike.

"Take Riku and go," Xemnas ordered Axel. "Hold him somewhere safe. Do not let him speak to anyone." Axel nodded in confirmation and reluctantly released Zexion's arm. He could have fled then, but this was the Superior- he probably would have been dead before he could get one foot into the portal.

"Come on, kiddo," said Axel, with next to no enthusiasm. Riku snarled at him and went to summon his weapon, but before he could accomplish anything, Axel grabbed his arm. "Seriously. Don't start anything," he muttered. "Let's go." He summoned a portal, and in an instant, Zexion was left alone with Xemnas. Not a great situation, but any means.

"So," he said haughtily. "Are you still going to kill me?"

"Not yet," said Xemnas. "Tell me what happened."

"Your little goon tried to knock me off," Zexion sniffed. "_That's _what happened." He always spoke candidly with Xehanort when he'd been alive, and he saw no need to start now, especially now that all the cards were on the table, and Xemnas already wanted him dead.

"You know what I meant, Ienzo." One word to show that the threat was still alive.

"Don't call me that." Ienzo was dead.

"Why did you bring Riku here?" Xemnas continued, ignoring him. His voice was slow and deliberate, the kind of voice that commanded attention, no matter the circumstances. "You know that Roxas is still fragile."

"All Riku wants is to go back to his islands. This was just a little pit stop. I couldn't well have left him in Castle Oblivion with Sora, now could I?" said Zexion carefully. Xemnas narrowed his eyes, but accepted his story.

"Fine. If that is truly all he wants, _you _are responsible for getting rid of him."

"Fine," Zexion said right back. "Mission accepted," he added, but to his credit, with only the slightest bit of sarcasm.

"You don't need me to tell you that we're watching you, Zexion."

"Then why did you?" Xemnas narrowed his eyes, but said nothing. That was all the indication Zexion needed to know that he was free to go- assuming that Xemnas had not somehow rounded up the remaining members of the Organization to slaughter him the moment he left the room.

So as not to run any unnecessary risk, Zexion teleported directly back to his room. They were standard-issue, of course, all with the same plain white furniture. The place, like all of the World That Never Was, was completely and overwhelmingly quiet. The perfect place to think.

_What am I going to do now?_

Zexion sat down on his bed, but he didn't relax. Soon he would have to seek out Axel and Riku and take the latter back to the Destiny Islands. But what was he going to do after that? Come back to the Organization, knowing that they wanted him dead? No, that wasn't exactly an option.

Like he usually did in these situations, Zexion found himself dwelling on Ienzo. _There are always tools, _that was what he'd been taught. _There are no dead ends. _Unfortunately, beyond those basic lessons, Ienzo was no use to him at all. He'd been only five when he'd been turned. All of his formative years had been spent as a Nobody. The others, they could all draw from their former selves for emotions, for thoughts and plans, but Ienzo had nothing. He was emotionally stunted, even by Nobody standards. The only person out there _more _mechanical than him was Xemnas, by deliberate effort. And possibly Naminé, the doll.

He thought about Naminé, left alone in Castle Oblivion with the Keybearer. _She _was only the way she was because _her _heart was still beating. Inside of Kairi, the Princess of Heart. Who lived on the Destiny Islands.

Suddenly, Zexion had an idea. Kairi, of all people, might be able to help him. Especially if he brought back Riku, who, if he could recall, had been a childhood friend of hers.

He had something she wanted. And from her, he might be able to get some answers.

Satisfied that he'd formed some semblance of a plan, he ventured cautiously out of his room to find where Axel had taken Riku. First he teleported to Axel's room, but they weren't there. So, he began searching the castle, starting with the Grey Room and working his way outward. Luck was on his side that day, and he didn't run into a single member of the Organization. Saïx had probably sent them all out on extra missions, to cover for the appearance of Riku. The castle was deserted.

At least, he thought it was deserted, until he appeared in one of the sitting rooms and came face-to-face with a short and angry blonde kid, who looked to be about his own age. He was wearing the trademark Organization coat, and he sat dully hunched over in an armchair, his hand out in front of him, making a Keyblade appear and disappear. He appeared to be enthralled with his own action.

"You must be Roxas," said Zexion.

"Yeah, that's me," said Roxas. His Keyblade disappeared in a flash of light. Zexion couldn't say he was thrilled to see the weapon on his home turf, even if this time, it was ostensibly on his side. It reappeared, then disappeared again.

"Who are you?" asked Roxas.

"Zexion," he said. He went to ask Roxas if he'd seen Axel and Riku, before remembering that Riku was supposed to stay out of sight, and that if Roxas and Riku were put together, it would probably be explosive, besides. He ran out exactly twelve horrible scenarios in his mind before finally deciding that no, he was not going to ask Roxas if he'd seen Axel and Riku. Roxas, meanwhile, had shrugged and gone back to his work. If one could call it work. The Keyblade appeared, then disappeared. Zexion left without saying goodbye. He had a suspicion that Roxas didn't notice.

Axel and Riku were, of course, in the kitchen, eating dinner. Zexion had no idea why he hadn't thought to look there first. Ienzo would probably have checked the kitchen first. The thought didn't make him terribly happy.

"Ha. You're still alive? Didn't think you had it in you," said Axel snidely. Zexion chose to ignore him.

"We're leaving, Riku," he said calmly. "It's time to go back to the Islands."

"How can I be sure you people are going to take me there?" Riku looked from side to side, suspicious. The boy- Zexion insisted on thinking of him as a boy, even though they were just about the same age- seemed determined to make things more difficult than they had to be. Maybe that was what having a heart did to you.

"My boss will kill me if I don't," Zexion deadpanned. "Is that enough of a guarantee for you?" Riku considered this, and for a moment, it appeared that no, that was not enough of a guarantee for him. Finally, he nodded, and stood. Axel stood, too.

"Sorry, Axel. This is _my _mission. Directly from the Superior's mouth."

"Are you serious?" he scoffed. "Well, fine. Day off for me." He summoned a portal and disappeared. Zexion supposed that he could have spared a _goodbye, I'm not going to see you again, _but really, he never liked Axel much anyway, and couldn't be bothered. Even though in this case his colleague's laziness had saved him quite a bit of hassle.

Zexion took one final look around the Kitchen That Never Was, where he'd spent plenty of long nights manipulating Lexaeus into cooking for him. Well, he supposed that where he was going, there would be plenty of kitchens that, you know, _were, _so he'd be able to get by.

"Are you ready to go, Riku?" he asked. As an afterthought, he went over to a nearby closet and pulled out a black Organization coat- they were always in steady supply in the castle. "Wear this. This trip is a little bit longer, you'll need it."

"What's it for?" asked Riku suspiciously, even as he pulled it on over his own clothes.

"To protect you from the Realm of Darkness." Zexion coolly extended a hand and summoned a portal. The edges were vibrant and jumpy, almost as if they knew that this trip was going to be a long one, though the Corridors of Darkness were always hungry for fresh meat. Riku nodded at his explanation and motioned for him to go first. Zexion happily obliged.

"How long is this going to take?" asked Riku as the portal closed behind them.

"Just keep walking," answered Zexion cryptically, and they set off towards Destiny Islands.

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Ok. So, I stopped writing this after I got 358/2 Days, since what I was writing was a million miles off from the canon version. I mean, I was CONVINCED that Xemnas had ordered Axel to kill off the 'Basement 3.' Convinced. And then Saïx comes crashing in with his Superior-ly ambitions, and his BFFs-With-Axel thing, and I was like lolwhat? So, I sort of half-heartedly wrote the first part of the chapter, and I was like eh. Eh, I said.

Fast forward four months. Today, I am sitting, minding my own business, when my new internet BFF Razer Athane (whose fic 'Compass,' an Axel/Aerith of all things, y'all absolutely should read) pops in with pictures of baby Axel and baby Saïx, from BBS. I squealed with girlish delight. And then, that reminded me of the pics of baby Ienzo that were released a while ago. I went to look at those again, and once again squealed with girlish delight. Then, I had a stunning realization.

_I got Zexion's age right!_

When I started writing this, I shifted him down to teenager-dom, thinking it was this huge radical thing I was doing, right? But think about it. If that was who Ienzo was, then when he got turned into a Nobody, he could only have been what, a year or two older than Sora? Which is EXACTLY HOW OLD HE IS IN THIS FIC. I was totally right. CoM Zexion _is _a teenager. I'm a goddamn psychic. So, secure in the knowledge of my glorious right-ness, I sat down and hacked out a new chapter.

Based on the pics of Lea and Isa, Axel would be in his mid-twenties in KH2- ten-ish years older than Sora/Roxas. And, can we talk about how adorable baby Lea is, plz!? With his little fruity scarf!?

Anyway, the point here is, The Story of Riku has been gloriously resurrected, with minor changes to reflect the change in canon. (Though there will be no Xion. Srsly, screw that.) Woo!

NEXT CHAPTER will be Kairi / Namine. See y'all later!


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